Takt time is the rate at which an organization needs to complete the production process in order to meet customer demand. In other words, it is the frequency at which one part or product should be produced to meet the customer’s requirements.

Takt time is used to synchronize the pace of production with the pace of sales. A sort of just-in-time production measure that helps remove and avoid waste.

Takt is a German word for the baton that an orchestra conductor uses to regulate the tempo of the music. In 1830, it was first used in the German aircraft industry; later, the concept was widely applied in Toyota.

Why Takt time?

Defining Takt time is very critical to optimizing the process. It creates a constant pulse across the process. Takt time helps to highlight the capability issues and synchronize issues among the process. It ensures that all capacity in the manufacturing is planned and utilized and also meets customer demand. Nonetheless, Takt time helps to balance the customer demand and avoids overproduction.

Calculating Takt Time

Step 1: Calculate the Net Available time

The net available time is the current production time after deducting unsupervised work time such as lunch, breaks, team meetings, or scheduled maintenance.

Note: If in case production is not stopping during lunch, breaks, and meetings, then we should not deduct those hours/minutes while calculating net working time.

Step 2: Calculate the Customer Demand

The customer demand is the average of sales by adding test parts, spare parts, and the percentage of rejects.

• The goal is to produce the demand
• Can only be changed if the available time or customer demand changes.
• Must be recalculated on a regular basis.
• Should drive staffing decisions and cell layout.
• Should NOT be adjusted to account for system problems.
• Pace the process to a planned cycle time to accommodate system problems.

Takt time Examples

Example 1:

Suppose your organization runs two shifts and the customer demand is 300 pieces; find the TAKT time.

• Number of shifts = 2
• Hours per shift =8 hours = 480 minutes
• Lunch time= 40 minutes
• Breaks =20 minutes
• Team meeting = 15 minutes

Net working time per shift = 480-40-20-15 = 405 minutes per shift = 810 minutes for two shifts

810 minutes / 300 pieces = 2.7 minutes per piece.

Example 2:

Customer demand = 30 units/hour.
The process can do the following: 1: 20/hr; 2: 40/hr; 3:12/hr; 16/hr.

Net operating time is 60 mins/hour. The process is irrelevant here. The customer requirements are 30 units per hour. 60 / 30 = 2 mins.

Example 3:

The output of a process has a Takt time of 60 seconds. Station 4 can only produce every 80 seconds. It exceeds the Takt time and is unable to keep pace.

Example 4:

A shop can work 430 mins a day.

The customer needs 300 units per day.

Takt time = 430 / 300 = 1.433 minutes per unit.

Example 5:

A manager wants to set up a Kanban system on an assembly process. The demand for the part produced in the target process is 75/units per hour, and the MLT of the process is 0.6 days. The factory operates two 8.5-hour shifts, with 30 minutes of break timer per shift. Assuming the safety stock should be set at 10% and container capacity is held at 10% of daily demand. How many Kanban card sets should be authorized?

Net available time = 8.5 + 8.5 = 17 hours per day (Note: Since it is a Kanban system, assuming that production did not stop during break time. Hence, we DO NOT subtract the 30-minute breaks.)

Customer demand = 75 units/hour * 24 hours per day = 1800 units per day.

Total demand = customer demand + safety stock + container capacity = 1800 + 0.1*1800 + 0.1*1800 = 2160

So, Takt time = Net Available time / Customer Demand = 17 / 2160  = 0.0079

Cycle time Vs. Takt time

Takt time is the maximum acceptable time that meets customer demand. In contrast, Cycle time is the amount of time taken to complete a specific task from start to finish. Cycle time is a work process based, whereas Takt time is based on customer demand.

• If Cycle time < Takt time – Producing more than customer demand. In other words, Overproduction.
• If Cycle time >  Takt time – Not meeting the customer demand. In other words, Customer demand fails.

Workload Balancing

Workload compares Takt time (rate of customer demand) to cycle time (“touch time” – or process time). The workload chart plots the cycle time of each process step and the Takt time. If the cycle time of each process is less than the Takt time, then the process may be capable of meeting the customer demand. On the other hand, if any of the process Cycle time exceeds the Takt time, that particular step is incapable and we call it a bottleneck. In such instances, the team needs to distribute the work to the other steps or increase the manpower as necessary. Especially workload balancing helps to improve the productivity and efficiency of the process.

Benefits

• Easily managed production process
• Optimizing the workforce
• Maintaining a constant production workflow
• Optimizing machine utilization
• Eliminate waste and efficiently manage inventory

Helpful Videos

ASQ Black Belt Questions

Question: Which of the following is an element of standard work?

(A) Takt time
(B) Product cost
(C) Product Value
(D) Maximum inventory

Answer:

A: Takt time.  By definition, it is an element of standard work. Cost, value, and inventory are all also byproducts of work.